


find a home in my ribcage

by harlock



Series: hell isn't where we're going, it's where we've been [7]
Category: Captain Harlock
Genre: Alternate Canon, Established Relationship, Eventual Fluff, M/M, Reunions, Tired Space Dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-01 12:23:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14520477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harlock/pseuds/harlock
Summary: No one likes it when the two Captains of the Arcadia (read: mom and dad) give each other a months-long silent treatment.





	find a home in my ribcage

It had taken months to reach this point. 

Months of searching each outer system of planets with little to no Fleet presence, months of scattered raids throughout the galaxy just to find _him_. 

Harlock shouldn't have been surprised when they cruised passed MX-201 and the _Arcadia_ decided to take the helm from him, the wheel spinning restlessly and yet with purpose. The ship began its descent into the planet's atmosphere without preamble, the black mass of clouds heralding their approach and trailing after them like a cloak of death dragging across the orange skies as they flew over the old, dying colony below— only to slow to a full stop above a towering plateau.

As Kei and Yattaran rounded up the men and herded them into the loading bay, donning their armored suits along the way, Harlock cast a look over his shoulder at Miimei in order to gauge her opinion, catching the slight tilt of her head as he watched her hands glide across the console of the dark matter engine. She met his gaze after a moment and the slight lift of her lips was enough to spur him on, and without a word he turned on his heel and strode off the bridge. 

They'd spread rumors from one end of the galaxy to the other, a search for new recruits, new crewman to bolster their numbers and continue their fight against Gaia.

In truth, it was a ploy. Harlock was _searching_ for something that had been lost. 

He would scour the universe if it meant he could recover it, and though the crew knew little of the details, they knew their captain was more agitated than usual with a need to _find_ it.

.

There were four of them, each standing on a plank after Kei had relieved them of their weapons and kicked them over the edge. The other three were nervous wrecks and attempted to keep their balance with their hands folded behind their heads, while the last one stood with more confidence than the situation warranted.

He didn't waver or stumble, he stood relaxed and seemed to move with the ship; as if the terrifying drop below his feet was no worry or mattered little to him. A black mask covered the bottom half of his face and dark goggles hid his eyes, and overgrown, shaggy brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the back of his head. 

Harlock appeared at the edge overlooking the bay just as a plank folded from under the first man and he fell with a scream. Bird was sitting contently on his shoulder as he observed from above, listened to one outlandish answer after another until only the last man stood. 

He watched him, taking in the dark brown leather clothes and hidden face, the short, lithe form standing on steady legs and noting the lack of fear and anxiety that overwhelmed the previous candidates.

"Why do you want to sail with us?" Yattaran repeated, his voice distorted by his suit as he approached the other, "Why do you want to join _this_ crew?"

The other wasn't looking at Yattaran though, his head tilted up and Harlock knew he was being stared at through the dark lenses. Silence reigned for a long tick, until Yattaran's impatience won out and just as he was about to signal the drop, the new candidate tapped something at the back of his neck and the mask hissed as it released, revealing full lips curved in a knowing smirk.

"For _freedom_ ," a familiar voice answered at last, and Yattaran stumbled back with a surprised yell as the goggles were peeled off and dropped on the deck. "And _home_."

. 

Yama sat alone in the central computer's room and simply listened. 

In the years since his arrival on the _Arcadia_ , he'd come to learn the ship's own language, could feel its emotions through the connection forged by dark matter between it, himself, and Harlock. 

He'd been here for hours lost in his thoughts and knew the ghost's agitation echoed his own. He was still furious, but he was also stubborn, and couldn't quite let go of his anger at Harlock for the man's recklessness. He'd pushed too hard, said too much, and now both of them were stewing in their frustrations as far away from each other as possible.

Yama ran a hand through his hair, noticing just how long it had grown in recent months, and quickly wrenched it back into a loose ponytail like he'd seen Kei do a time or two before when her own blonde locks got in the way. Tying a band around it with more force than necessary, Yama let loose a harsh breath and dropped his face in his hands. 

"Tochiro..." Yama sighed, loosening his shoulders and lifting his head to look up at the soft red rings as they spun slowly in place, taking in the flicker of lights and smiling at the quiet beeps and trills of the great mechanical beast that powered the _Arcadia_. 

"He's being stupid, and stubborn, and—" He frowned, sitting up and standing, "I need to leave for a while. Is that okay with you?"

He felt a wave of resignation from the computer, a saddened pulse through the ship that echoed in his own heart, and he reached out to trail his fingers gently in apology across the computer's main panel. 

"I'll come home again, when he gets his head out of his ass, I promise."

There was another trill from the computer, a succession of beeps that sounded as sarcastic as ever; it caused Yama to laugh despite another mournful flare of the dark matter permeating his own veins.

"You'll know where to find me when it's time. He'll figure it out eventually."

. 

Yama met Harlock's stare as the crewmen present erupted into cheers and Kei's helmet receded to show her own annoyed, yet relieved expression. She stormed up to him, and looked ready to smack him, but instead dragged him into a hug, instigating a huddle of crew members around Yama as they greeted him and berated him in equal turns.

Around them, the _Arcadia_ hummed its approval at the return of its lost co-captain and Harlock felt his mouth involuntarily twitch into a smile when Yama finally extricated himself and ordered the rest to disperse. It didn't take long for those present to realize the silence from Harlock and Yama meant it was time to leave them be, and soon the pair were alone in the loading bay, the heavy beat of the _Arcadia's_ heart echoing their own and filling much of the quiet around them.

Then Harlock stepped off the edge and landed with a loud thud on the floor in front of Yama, his cape flaring out and his long hair obscuring half his face as he stood to look at his partner. Yama stepped forward, and reached up to comb his fingers through Harlock's messy hair to brush it from his eye and find that familiar amber gazing down at him.

"What did we learn?" Yama asked, a playful lilt to his words as Harlock stepped into his space, as air rushed around them while the deck sealed shut and the _Arcadia_ made ready to return to orbit. 

Harlock didn't answer immediately, with his mouth pressed into a thin line and his eye darting around Yama's scarred features, as if attempting to memorize his face all over again while trying to find anything different since the last time he laid an eye upon his runaway lover.

Finally, Harlock pulled him in by his hips, and ducked his head to bury it into the warm skin of Yama's throat, "That I am an old man and a fool."

Yama's smile was a little exasperated, a little indulgent, and more than just a bit fond as he slipped his arms around Harlock's waist and tucked himself against the older man's chest, "That's a start."

Harlock snorted at his words, but didn't contest them, "I suppose it is." His hold tightened on Yama's hips and he brushed his lips against a pulse as familiar as his own, "Welcome home, Yama."

. 

When Yama disappeared from the ship, Harlock felt the loss like his heart had been ripped from his chest. 

He could no longer feel the second heartbeat that matched his own, that thundered with purpose alongside the _Arcadia_ 's own rhythm, and felt the ship itself mourn the disappearance of her second captain. He couldn't feel Yama's warmth anywhere in the corridors or hear his laughter bouncing off the walls with the crew's, and soon his quarters lost the comfort he'd come to find when Yama was there with him.

At first he was furious, and had wanted to give chase to drag Yama back home to shake some sense into him; but the _Arcadia_ had prevented that, his old friend had aborted all his attempts to search for Yama in the first few weeks after he left. 

Then he was irritated and frustrated, and tore into every Gaia Fleet patrol they found with a vengeance just to distract himself from the battlefield his mind and heart had become. He felt wound tight and on edge, and every attempt by the crew or Miimei to ease his anxieties was met with deadly silence.

It took months for this to pass, for him to come to terms with the fact he had made a mistake and had to atone for it. He sat alone in the central computer room for hours, berating himself, punishing himself for his brashness and recklessness that cost him the trust and companionship he'd come to hold dear over the years.

He was scolded by the _Arcadia_ as well, the ghost of his oldest friend making it apparent the disappointment it felt in Harlock's foolishness.

All because he wanted to strike the Gaia Sanction at its heart on the Mars capital, to remove the head of the snake and free the universe from its iron grip.

Yama had argued with him for days over such a stupid plan, that the people who resided there did not deserve the loss of their home just because the ruling Council were _monsters_ in human flesh. They'd fought each other, both in private and around the ship, until Yama took the better path and walked away. 

The last Harlock had seen of him was his back disappearing into the darkened corridors of the _Arcadia_ after Yama declared he needed some time alone.

Harlock didn't think he would end up _leaving_ the ship entirely.

. 

His skin was flushed pink from the heated waters he slipped into, a sigh leaving him as he sank into the bath and dunked his wet hair just to soak away the cold. 

Yama scrubbed himself raw almost, just to wash away the dirt and grime from the desert colony he'd returned to; his last stop before returning home to the _Arcadia_. He felt at peace again, no longer felt the old ache in his chest nor the longing that clawed at his thoughts and raked across his ribcage the further he was from the ship he'd learned to call home.

It seemed the old battleship missed him as much as he missed it— and her Captain.

The door to the bath opened and familiar footsteps padded into the room, bringing with them the man himself through the steamy haze. Yama pushed himself to the edge of the wide tub and folded his arms on the edge, lifting his eye to watch as Harlock shed one layer at a time, letting each piece of armor or fabric fall to the floor. Yama made a face every time one of the metal pieces clattered loudly in the room, something that earned him the quickest flash of a smile before he continued. 

Soon enough, there was a circle of Harlock's attire surrounding the captain, while the man had laid himself bare before Yama. Harlock was taller, and lean, and his body was littered in old and new scars, some long healed, some in the process, and a couple that still held new stitches. Yama frowned at those, moving to allow space for Harlock to climb into the tub with him. 

"You're gross." Yama scrunched up his nose as Harlock crowed him against the edge, "Dirty old man, you're supposed to wash before you get in here."

Harlock shrugged, the hint of a smirk curving his lips, "You'll just have to make sure I leave squeaky clean, then."

Yama blinked, mock surprise slowly filtering into his features, "Did you just make a joke?" He smacked a hand to Harlock's forehead, "Are you sick? Did you finally crack while I was gone?"

He laughed when Harlock knocked his hand away and grabbed him around the middle to drag him close, "Well, you're not running a fever, so I guess you've just lost your mind."

"You were gone long enough, I might have." Harlock grumbled against his neck, pulling him until he got the hint to straddle the man's lap and settle close, "Too long, Yama."

Yama reached for a nearby bowl and scoop enough water into it to dump over Harlock's head, soaking his hair with hot water and causing the captain to sputter like an angry cat. He didn't give the elder a chance to retaliate, grabbing up the shampoo from tub's edge and vigorously lathering it into Harlock's messy hair, muttering about knots and tangles as he did so. 

As cranky as it made the older man, eventually he settled down the more Yama raked his fingers across his scalp in soothing motions, causing his neck and shoulders to relax finally and his eye to fall closed with a rare contentment.

"You won't leave again, will you?" Harlock asked, once Yama was satisfied he was scrubbed within an inch of his life; the younger had removed his eyepatch, and was gently massaging callous-smoothed fingertips into the scar tissue around the empty, healed socket. 

"So long as you don't come up with any other stupid plans like that last one, I won't." He answered finally, lazily brushing his fingers into Harlock's wet hair, slicking it back from his face and tilting his head back to litter a few kisses along the column of his throat, "It hurt to leave, but you needed to realize what you'd lose if you had gone through with it. I wouldn't have been the only one to walk away."

Harlock frowned, brows knitting together as he allowed Yama to do as he pleased, "But did you have to be the first?"

Yama simply looked at him, "Yes," he said, as if it was the most obvious conclusion in the galaxy. "It's my job, as Captain and as your partner, to keep you on the right path. Even if it means I have to remove myself from the equation for a while."

The Captain couldn't think of anything more to say to that. Instead he brought both hands to Yama's face and cupped his jaw, swiping his thumb along his plush bottom lip and leaned in to kiss him. 

"Very well," Harlock muttered after, stealing another kiss, and nipping lightly as Yama slipped arms around his neck and closed any further gaps between their bodies as he did so, "You're home now, so that's all that matters."

Yama graced him with a knowing smile and he didn't bother holding back the laughter spilling out of him. While he knew the brat only did this shit to get under his skin and teach him ' _how to be human again_ ', he couldn't deny that Yama's presence helped keep him centered.

It gave him _peace_.

.


End file.
